Heinkel He 111H (CASA 2111)
German Medium Bomber

The Ghost Squadron's He 111.

Image source: The Confederate Air Force Ghost
Squadron CD-ROM produced by Corel. Photos by Bill Crump.

One of the best known
and most widely used German bombers of World War II, the Heinkel He 111 was first
displayed to the public on 10 January, 1936, ostensibly as a ten-passenger commercial
airliner. However, it was a dual purpose design, also aimed at satisfying the newly
organized Luftwaffes needs for a fast medium bomber.

By mid-1935, the first He-111A bomber
variants had entered production, powered by two BMW engines, but the low power of these
engines resulted in the Luftwaffes refusal to accept them. Thus, ten He 111As were
sold to the Chinese government, to help raise much needed hard currency for Germany.

Subsequent versions were engined with either
Daimler-Benz DB 600 or Junkers Jumo 211 series liquid-cooled inverted V-12 engines. The He
111 saw its first combat with the Condor Legion in Spain in 1937, where they proved fast
enough to evade most of the fighters trying to attack them. This, and other experiences,
lead the Luftwaffe to believe it could operate fast medium bombers against any country,
without having to provide them with fighter escorts.

This tactic worked during the Blitzkrieg, the
lightening war into France, but failed miserably in the fall of 1940, during the Battle of
Britain. The He 111P and H models were primarily used in the attacks on England, the H
model going on to become the most important variant of the design produced.

The He 111H-6 was typical of the series, but
its two or three gunners firing hand-operated light machine guns proved no match for the
fast and maneuverable Spitfires and Hurricanes which rose to defend Britain. The Germans
quickly learned that they had to provide fighter escorts, usually Bf 109s, for the
bombers, but the short range of the fighters limited them to only about ten minutes
endurance over Britain.

The Spanish firm CASA built 200 He 111H-16s
under license from Heinkel, beginning in 1945, powering them with British Merlin engines.
The CASA 2111s continued in service with the Spanish Air Force as transports until the
late 1960s, and were used in the filming of the movie The Battle of Britain in
1967. The CAF He 111 is the only one regularly flying in the world today.

The Spanish Heinkel 111s

During World War II, Spain purchased the
rights to manufacture the He 111H as CASA 2111s. However, the Spanish equipped their
version with British Merlin engines, in place of the German Jumo 211s. Many were built as
transports, without bombing equipment. They served into the 1960s with the Spanish Air
Force and are the last flying examples of the design.

Note: The
CAF He 111 was destroyed when an engine failed on approach to landing while
enroute to an air show in July 2003. Look
here to view the official press release.